Since the Call of Duty League is in its inaugural season, fans are still getting a feel for the new teams as players have shifted around and legendary organizations are no longer the same as they once were. There have been a handful of little rivalries sprouting up throughout the first two weekends of the league, but only one has delivered that energy so many historic rivalries are known for - the Chicago Huntsmen and Dallas Empire.
Aside from being some of the best teams in the league, the Chicago and Dallas rivalry already runs deep with owners and players of legendary caliber on both sides. When these two meet, there is no shortage of words and passion present.
From an organizational standpoint, the Dallas Empire are owned by Team Envy - an esports organization with Mike “Hastr0” Rufail at the helm. The Chicago Huntsmen are owned by NRG Esports with Hector “H3CZ” Rodriguez as the CEO (formerly the owner of OpTic Gaming). Team Envy and OpTic Gaming are some of the biggest name in professional Call of Duty history and both owners take great pride in the performance of their teams. Even though OpTic Gaming Los Angeles takes the title, many still view Chicago as the “true OpTic” which has allowed two legendary organizations to stay at the top of their games.
While there really isn’t any bad blood between the organizations behind Dallas and Chicago (that we know of), the players front and center have a long, complicated history. This history comes from Dallas’ Ian “C6” Porter (Crimsix) and Chicago’s Seth “Scump” Abner and Matthew “FormaL” Piper. All three were once teammates on the legendary OpTic Gaming, but had a falling out where a lot of bad blood was shed. If the first two weekends were any indication, that bad blood is still there.
On stage, the Chicago Huntsmen have had the Empire’s number since the beginning. They are 3-0 against them with a map record of 9-2. Despite that, the finals in London was a much closer score than the 3-0 win may have seemed and Dallas seems to be putting it all together. These two teams will continue to battle it out as the season progresses and the rivalry will only continue to grow, giving fans a much needed dose of spice and an extra level of passion only Chicago vs. Dallas can bring.
“I will never forgive and I will never forget.” - Crimsix
